Jacob and Ferdinand sat huddled together before the radio, waiting for the BBC to say the correct phrase. Three minutes into the broadcast they heard it. Jericho will fall again.
They jumped up and practically ran to the field they'd chosen as the safest spot for a landing. Approximately 650 yards long and cleared of any obstacle over two and a half yards high for a 1,200-square-yard radius. Any dangerous impediments had been moved into the nearby woods, where they would bury their empty shipping containers. After waiting under the bright moonlight for about thirty minutes, they heard the motor of a van nearby.
"It's the Gestapo, I just know it! Why did they pick tonight to show up in our woods?" Ferdinand complained as they ducked down.
"Stay here, I'm going to check."
Jacob crept away to locate the source of the vehicle they heard. He returned fifteen minutes later and searched the area carefully before he sighted Ferdinand flattened against the ground and covered in dirt and twigs.
"The plane is here, Jacques. A Lysander. They just flew over." He silently cursed the Germans for ruining their chance to obtain provisions.
"There's no way we can signal it down tonight. The Gestapo van is moving very slowly, searching for radio transmitters. Let's get back to the house."
"Curse those Boches. We need that parcel."
With disheartened spirits, they crept back to Ferdinand's house. They dare not risk a radio broadcast to London, even though Stronghold would wonder why they hadn't shown up at the rendezvous.
Jacob barely slept that night and started out first thing in the morning to radio from the traboules. The tunnels remained the safest way to evade detection from the Gestapo. He sent his message without mishap then returned to the home of Antoinette and Ferdinand and waited for nightfall. If only the BBC broadcasts would give them another go.
Again, the three compatriots hovered before the radio. Five minutes into the broadcast, Jacob felt an overwhelming sense of relief when he heard the code words for them to proceed. Once again, Ferdinand and Jacob hid near the make-shift airstrip. At the appointed time, they set up three lighted flares in the shape of a triangle and flashed the agreed-upon Morse code signal, G-G- G. The plane flew past.
"What? Jacques, they aren't stopping."
"I see. Let's wait a moment. They may try again."
On the next pass, Jacob flashed the signal again, G-G-G, then the Lysander flashed H-H-H-H, using its position lights, changed its altitude, and landed.
In the next three minutes, they received enough supplies and money to proceed with their current plans and send the Lysander back to England. They also acquired a new compatriot who was to accompany Jacob to Cachet, but the open field wasn't the place to become acquainted.
The three men accomplished the run back to the farm in near silence. Jacob couldn't get over his elation at another successful drop. It never ceased to delight him when they fooled the Gestapo. When they trudged into Antoinette's spotless kitchen, they found her waiting with a pot of hot coffee.
"Who is this?" She backed uncertainly when she sighted the stranger.
The rather squatty man offered her a Gallic shrug. "Today…I am Joshua. At your service."
"For you, Joshua." She set the steaming mug before him, and they all took a seat at the table to investigate their newfound booty.
Joshua took a drink, ignoring the heat. "Ahh, no one makes coffee like the French. Merci, Madame."
"You are French?" asked Ferdinand.
"Oui. I was in London only long enough to receive training."
Now that he had gained Antoinette's favor, he took out a French matchbook. "I have something for you."
He slid off a false compartment and unfolded the microfilm plans of every electrical plant in France, vital information, if they were to strike a lethal blow to the Nazis. Not even they could function without electricity. A second matchbox contained a miniature camera.
Jacob picked it up. "This might prove especially useful. The Gestapo have been ensconced in Cachet for over a month. There might be valuable information there concerning the future invasion of the Unoccupied Zone."
Ferdinand grunted. "If one can get close enough to photograph."
"Leave that to me."
There were several other items Jacob had not seen or used since his stint at the London spy school.
Ferdinand lovingly admired a pipe. "Did you bring tobacco?"
"I did, but this is a special pipe. The bowl is lined with asbestos so you can smoke even when there are messages hidden in the stem. It also contains a compass." He offered a mechanical pencil to Jacob. "This pistol might come in handy. It holds a 6.35mm cartridge that you fire by releasing the button on the side."
Antoinette's eyes widened. "I hope you don't need it."
"Oui," agreed Joshua. "But it's better to be prepared. I think this is what you've been waiting for, Jacques."
He laid out several delayed-action pencil detonators and the special medicine tubes that hid them. Getting inside the chateau might not be difficult in and of itself, but getting in with the right equipment could be a problem if one were searched. At a glance, these items all seemed innocent enough.
For the next few minutes, Jacob watched as Joshua spoke openly with Antoinette and Ferdinand about his family. Though he never revealed their exact whereabouts, they all relished information concerning the fate of other regions of France. Joshua was methodical and careful in his actions, but he had a sense of humor. Jacob liked him.
At last, Antoinette stood. "I'm sure you're tired, Joshua. Jacques can show you to a room."
They climbed the stairs together, and with the adrenaline fading, Jacob felt the strain in every step. Tonight, he would enjoy deep sleep to make up for whatever the future held in Cachet.
When they reached the first room on the landing, Jacob stood back. "This is yours. I'm next door."
"Merci, and this is yours." He grinned at Jacob as he handed over a pack of letters. "Looks like they've been saving them for a while. I thought you might like to be alone."
Jacob hurried into his room and shut the door to read the letters from his son.
"Dear Papa, How are you feeling today? I'm feeling fine. We got to eat a whole chicken last night. It was very good. Sometimes I get tired of potatoes. Do you have to eat potatoes every day?"
No, sometimes I don't get to eat at all, but I'm glad you're eating.
"The bomb drops have slowed, and some people have moved back to the city. I don't understand why because Grandmother says that London is mostly a pile of rubble. I'm glad you aren't in London. I have to go now and feed the chickens we haven't eaten. I've been good at school, when we get to go. I want you to know how much I love you. All the way around the earth and the sun, but not the moon. I love God around the moon, and I have to love Him more than I love you so He gets the moon. It's hard to love God more than I love you, Papa, but I try. Your Jacob."
Jacob Jr. had been telling his father he loved him around the earth and the sun but not the moon, since he was five years old. It was tradition now, but at twelve years old, his son might be getting too old for such childish words. He hoped not. He didn't want his child to grow up without him. What did he look like? Did he still favor Geli with blond locks and sweet smile?
The other letters encouraged Jacob just as much and made him long for family and home. He leaned back on the bed. What home? He hadn't stayed in one place for years. Home for him would be wherever his family settled when the war ended. If only it would be soon, but Joshua said Stronghold thought the situation wasn't quite ready for the big thrust from England. Jacob would continue sending information on the strength of troops. He would sabotage all German munitions, communications, and shipping in preparation for the day the Allies attacked. He closed his eyes. For now, sleep.
Though Chloe made it through the first night with the colonel, hours passed before Rachelle could coax her to speak. After she bathed and dressed her, she set her in Madame's window seat to stare ou
t at the filtering autumn light.
While Rachelle stripped the bedding off Madame's bed, she sang silly nursery songs, hoping to turn Chloe's attention away from what had happened. When she noticed the soiled condition of the sheets, a primal rage rose inside her. It was too much to ask her child to sacrifice her life for that of the town. They'd all be better off dead. But they weren't, so she had to save her child.
Chloe's mind appeared perilously close to shutting down. Rachelle would wrap her daughter in a cocoon of love. There would be no time to grieve for Jean-Claude, or she would lose Chloe, too. After the war, the entire nation would have time to grieve. The Allies wouldn't fail. They couldn't.
As she looked about the room, Rachelle thought of the castle tradition of the virgin maiden. When the lord of the manor had taken a bride, the sheets had been hung from the balustrade to show the people she was a virgin. She would show the town what her daughter had sacrificed for them. She opened the tower window and hung the stained sheets outside. They would know their freedom came at a great price for Chloe.
By the end of the day, Chloe had eaten only a few spoonfuls of broth that Rachelle forced upon her. Soon Rachelle would have to leave, and she wasn't sure Chloe was able to function on her own.
"Chloe, darling, Maman will have to go soon, but I'll be back in the morning. Tell me how you feel."
Chloe turned bloodshot eyes on her mother. "It doesn't help to think of beautiful things. It only makes the beautiful things ugly."
At that, Rachelle broke down and cried, begging Chloe to forgive her for allowing such a sacrifice. "We'll end it now, Chloe, dear. I'll go out and attack the soldiers, and they'll kill us both. It will be over."
"Non, Maman. Nothing is ever what we think it will be, but we'll not let the Germans win. They killed Jean-Claude. We'll get our revenge."
Rachelle had lived a long time and seen many things. She wasn't certain revenge would be enough for France or for Chloe. "Will revenge be what you think it is, ma petite?"
"Probably not, but this is one offense that must be punished. Go home now, Maman."
Colonel Vott had left Chloe alone all day. Not out of any consideration for her she was sure, but because he was more interested in making the chateau into an impregnable base. Remy had been called in to explain the working of the canal locks and the schedules for barges going up and down the river. It quickly became apparent that the Germans were there to stay. When Remy asked if the Germans were entering all the provinces in the Unoccupied Zone, he was told it was none of his affair. Remy wished with all his might that the Resistance would show up. At this point, he'd tell them anything.
The Colonel found Rachelle's hanging of the sheets most amusing. It gave him even more status with his men. But in the village, his name became more closely accompanied by a curse. Equal parts of fear and discontent ate away at the vestiges of the community.
For a solid week, the Colonel forced Chloe to remain with him each night. Just another way to show his superior strength. After she'd been suitably subdued, he visited her for shorter periods of time, returning to the Patron's private suite for sleep.
This arrangement suited Chloe much more. She didn't have to hide her feelings for the entire night or remain awake, trying to avoid him in his sleep. Slowly, she relaxed into her role as mistress of the chateau. A month passed that seemed more like a year with its intensity of emotion and sense of loss. She woke every morning, hating her very existence and consumed with ideas for destroying the Boches. The Resistance they had heard so much about seemed more like a phantom than an actual army. Colonel Vott didn't have much luck locating them either. His temper flared more and more as reports of the 'Great Resistance' reached his ears.
He established a daily routine with the soldiers and the villagers. The soldiers left for search and destroy missions, leaving a small contingent to guard the chateau. The villagers went about their usual work, making sure each citizen was put on a rotation of helping out in the castle. The women cooked and cleaned for the soldiers. The men removed refuse and heavy loads of laundry. Everyone abhorred the practice, but it kept any one person's contact with the soldiers down to a minimum, everyone that is, except Chloe. The soldiers came to her for everything, from rips in their clothing to complaints about the food. She learned more than a smattering of German from their constant harping.
When six weeks had passed, Chloe woke so sick she couldn't get out of bed. The verdict wasn't good news for anyone. She was pregnant. She would endure this as she had everything else. The baby would be hers and hers alone. And through it, she would wreak the greatest vengeance of all. She would teach her baby what it meant to be a French citizen under German control. Her child would know the only good German was a dead German! Chloe couldn't have thought of a better revenge if she had planned it. By late evening, she wasn't even sorry she was pregnant. Eventually, the Colonel wouldn't be able to sleep with her, so the baby would benefit her even more.
When the knock came at the door, she felt triumphant. " Entrer."
"I've brought someone to see you, Chloe. This is Doctor Kluge. Lie down on the bed."
Chloe crawled on the high bed and lay back.
The doctor gave her a thorough investigation then turned to Colonel Vott. "We may proceed."
"What do you mean?" asked Chloe.
Colonel Vott didn't answer as he moved to open the door. Two soldiers walked in with leather straps. Chloe instantly realized her danger. She jumped off the bed and tried to run out the door, but Colonel Vott grabbed her around the waist.
"Where do you think you're going?"
He threw her back on the bed and held her down while the soldiers tied her wrists and feet at the ends of the bed. She screamed obscenities at him, every vile name that came to her mind, even some she had learned in German.
When she spoke the German curses, he slapped her face. "You are not even fit to utter German curse words. You certainly are not fit to bear a German child."
"The child is mine!"
He put a leather strap around her mouth to keep her from biting her tongue or crying out then turned to face the doctor. "Make sure it doesn't happen again." Then Colonel Vott left the room.
The soldiers assisted at the abortion. If Chloe had thought previously she had experienced the depths of human depravity, she was wrong. Tears of pain and rage streamed from her eyes at the inhumane treatment. She hated them, every last German. And she was going to hurt them as soon as she could figure out how. For the next two days after the doctor visit, Chloe couldn't get out of bed. Her mother came and tended her, but Chloe refused to discuss what had happened.
"Chloe, some day you'll meet a man, and you'll have a baby blessed by your union. Do not mourn for the child. I'm sorry they killed your baby, but it would have made your life more difficult."
"Don't worry, Maman. I'll be fine."
"Why don't you see the priest tomorrow?"
"Perhaps."
The more Chloe thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. Maybe he could help her deal with the rage until she could act on it. Besides, she needed absolution for all the Germans had inflicted upon her.
When she walked inside the church, it looked deserted. But three people quickly rose from their seats and exited, as if she had a plague. The priest finally wandered over to her, but his face lacked the welcome for which she'd hoped. He would plainly rather be anywhere else.
"What can I do for you?"
"You know who I am, Father...what I've become."
She studied his face for some sign of encouragement, but he nodded without expression. She would have to blurt out her problem before she gave up on him.
"I became pregnant from the German officer, but he brought a doctor to kill the baby. I hate them all. I want to kill them. What can I do?"
She waited desperately for his answer. Perhaps, after all, he would say something that could make her feel good about herself. Maybe there was something he could say that would show her God still lo
ved her. When she recognized the disapproval on his face, just the look her father used to get when she'd been a naughty girl, her tiny hopes died.
"I'm sorry. There's nothing. After all, you're still a prostitute and you chose that voluntarily."
"That's…all?"
Did she not rate a conversation, a dialogue between two adult people? He looked aggravated that he would have to explain something simple to someone so dense and unworthy of his time. He opened his mouth to speak, but Chloe got up and left. If God was finished with her, it really didn't matter what she did to the Germans. Her soul was damned already!
Chapter 7
Joshua traveled ahead to Chalon-sur-Saone to meet the group taking out the electrical systems. Mission Flashdown. With everything in place, Joshua would return to Cachet to give Jacob the go-ahead. By then, Jacob should have his mission completed. All their lives could depend on it.
For two and a half days, Jacob observed the town of Cachet and the chateau. For a supposedly superior human race, these Nazis weren't very smart. All three mornings, a group of soldiers left the small castle at the same time, and each day, a different guard stayed behind at the castle door. After they departed, several villagers entered the castle, carrying various bundles. In the afternoon, the townspeople left with their bundles, which were inspected at the door.
He also noticed a woman leave the castle several times, but without any visible routine. She came and went as she pleased. Sometimes they searched her, sometimes not. She couldn't be a German. She must be a collaborator, and a collaborator could be more dangerous than a Nazi. That would make Jacob's task inside the castle more difficult. There was one good thing. It wouldn't be necessary to wear the Nazi uniform when going into the castle, but he might need it to get out.
It appeared that the Nazis used the castle as a base for spreading out into the Unoccupied Zone. Jacob desperately needed to succeed in this mission. Early the next morning he dressed like the other villagers and waited for them to gather at the bridge to the chateau. As he left the tree line of the forest to join the queue, the woman from the castle walked out. From this vantage, she looked much younger.
All Things New Page 8
